RAILS ACROSS THE SAN JUANS A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE SAN JUAN EXTENSION

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Tucked away between two states lies the remnants of a railroad line that
belied its small nature with amazing feats of endurance and
engineering. The narrow-gauge San Juan Extension of the Denver &
Rio Grande Railroad brought the ever-growing reach of civilization to
the rugged Rocky Mountains of southern Colorado and the arid plains of
northern New Mexico. These trains, rolling across three-foot track from
Alamosa to Durango, connected once isolated settlements and spawned
communities of their own becoming a foundational element in the history
of the region and the people who called it home. Initially created to
harvest the mineral wealth that lay in southwestern Colorado, the line
soon found itself serving as the backbone of the region. From silver to
livestock, it facilitated the means of commerce and enabled travel for
countless riders for nearly a century. Throughout that time, though
financial hardship often made itself felt for the San Juan, it always
seemed to persevere, resisting closure attempts by the D&RG as
standard-gauge enterprises quickly surpassed it. Today, the
narrow-gauge extension lives on in the form of two unique and completely
separate tourist railroads which are also National Historic Landmarks.
Rails Across the San Juans covers the history and journey of not just
what still remains, but also that which has been lost.